COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The National Institute of Health announced new requirements for grant recipients, limiting Ohio universities’ research.

On April 21, the NIH announced that all grants and agreements must comply with anti-diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies as dictated by the Trump administration. Under the notice, the NIH requires grant recipients to certify they do not and will not operate any programs that promote DEI.

The new policy is less likely to affect Ohio State University, which already dissolved its DEI offices, then it is other institutions that still have offices for diversity, like Ohio University. State law will soon change that; all public universities are required to eliminate all DEI programs by June 26 under Senate Bill 1. See previous coverage of Ohio State’s DEI cuts in the video player above.

The NIH is also eliminating grants that it determines have to do with DEI, and federal documents show Ohio State has already lost millions in canceled NIH grants. The NIH requirement also lacks clarity as to what DEI programs are specifically barred, and whether individual researchers or simply the institutions they work for must abide by the new guidelines.

Although the NIH did not specify what qualifies as programs that advance or promote DEI, it was specific about one requirement. The NIH now requires all grant recipients to certify they do not engage in any “discriminatory prohibited boycott,” which refers to limiting purchases with Israeli companies or companies that support Israel. 

In Ohio, state law prohibits public universities from divesting from Israel or supporting boycotts. Effective June 21, 2022, all public entities – including higher education institutions – are not allowed to enter contracts with companies unless the contract says that company is not boycotting Israel. 

According to federal finance documents, the NIH is obligated to almost $8.7 billion in awards this year, including 330 grants to Ohio State. The NIH has already canceled several OSU grants under the Trump administration, including a $699,000 grant examining cannabis use in LGBTQ+ women on March 11.

Since then, the NIH alone has canceled at least eight other OSU grants, costing university researchers more than $22.6 million in total:

CANCELEDTOTAL $LOST $RESEARCH SUBJECT
3/18$42 M$21.8 MHIV awareness
3/20$815,881$0Suicide risks in bisexual young adults*
3/21$858,221$94,853.17Anti-tobacco messaging for LGBTQ+ adults
$450,125$148,099.56HIV prevention for Black men
$172,776$538.11Sexual minority health and substance abuse in rural and urban populations
$3.1 M$354,000HPV vaccines for sexual minority men
3/24$2.4 M$240,559Improving outcomes from COVID-19
4/1$196,875$93,304.02Vaccines and vaccine hesitancy in rural areas
*this grant was for the same researcher as the $699,000 grant canceled on March 11

Other Ohio universities have also had grants cancelled. The University of Cincinnati had at least three NIH grants canceled on March 20 and 21, losing a bit over $2 million that had been promised to research in racial disparity in cognitive diseases, sexual minority women’s mental health and accessible voice training for transgender people.

Although the NIH guidance warns against DEI programs specifically assisting race, gender or sexuality research, grant cancelations have targeted a vast range of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In the chart above, two of eight grant cancelations focused on increasing equity between urban and rural populations.

NBC4 reached out to the NIH for further clarification regarding the new grant guidelines, but did not hear back by publication. Ohio State spokespeople said they are looking into these guidelines further, and will provide information when they can.